EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton mayor decries “transphobic” billboard opposing child gender transitions
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath is decrying a billboard advocating against the medical transitioning of minors as “transphobic.”
UPDATE: According to reports, the billboard has been removed.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath is decrying a billboard advocating against the medical transitioning of minors as “transphobic.”
The sign in question bears the slogan “Let kids be kids. Stop medical transitions for minors” and was erected on private property. While Horwath acknowledged that the sign was located on private land, she claimed the city’s advertising rules were not followed. Horwath has asked Astral Media, the company responsible for the billboard, to remove it.
Mayor Horwath claimed in a public statement that “hate-related incidents are on the rise in Hamilton,” in response to the billboard. She added, “We are also a community that will not stand by when confronted by hate – I certainly will not.”
Hamilton has seen a rise in reported hate and bias-related incidents, with total occurrences increasing from 220 in 2023 to 297 in 2024, according to local police data. Reports motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity grew from 55 in 2023 to 72 in 2024, while religion-related reports rose from 59 to 66. However, race-based hate or bias remains the largest category, surging from 96 incidents in 2023 to 157 in 2024
These figures represent reports to police rather than charges or convictions and include both confirmed crimes and reported incidents. Some incidents were deemed to have “overtones” of hate or bias.
The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) placed the billboard as part of their Let Kids be Kids campaign. On its website, ARPA states that “childhood is a precious time that should be protected and promoted as a time for play, love, belonging, and exploration. We need to let kids be – let them grow and develop naturally.”
ARPA describes itself as a Christian political advocacy organization with a mission to “educate, equip, and encourage Reformed Christians to political action, and to bring a biblical perspective to our civil authorities.”
Mayor Horwath, six city councillors, and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board condemned the “1 Million March 4 Children” rally in 2023, calling it harmful to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and denouncing what they described as “organized hate.”
The nationwide protest, which also took place in Hamilton, opposed the teaching of gender ideology in schools. Organizers argued that children are too young for such content, which often included explicit sexual materials and demanded that parental rights and religious freedoms be respected.
Debates over medical transition for minors are intensifying worldwide. In recent years, several European governments, including Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, have restricted access to such interventions or shifted toward more cautious, research-focused approaches. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service closed the Tavistock Clinic, its flagship youth gender transition center, following an independent review that raised concerns about its practices.
In the United States, new laws and policies are moving toward limiting or criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors. In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed the Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation executive order, directing federal agencies to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding from providers offering such care to anyone under 19.
The impact of these measures has been swift. In June, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed its Center for Transyouth Health and Development, citing “a shifting policy landscape,” funding threats, and federal executive orders. In late July, Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., announced it would end the prescription of gender-affirming medications to minors by August 30, citing escalating legal and regulatory risks, including subpoenas from the Department of Justice.
By contrast, Canada continues to fund and support gender transition for minors. Attempts to restrict such care are frequently framed as discriminatory or hateful. In May 2025, Children’s Healthcare Canada publicly opposed Alberta’s Bill 26, which would restrict physicians’ ability to provide gender-affirming care to youth. The organization argued that such measures undermine medical autonomy and could cause serious harm to young people.
Nova Scotia recently approved sweeping changes to its transgender care policy that lowered the barrier for minors in accessing irreversible hormone therapy and surgeries, including approving genital surgeries for minors.
The federal government’s security agency, CSIS, has also taken a position on the tone of the debate. In its 2024 Public Report, CSIS identified ideologically motivated violent extremism as a growing threat, including movements opposing “gender ideology.” It linked some opposition to coordinated anti-LGBTQ+ activity that could incite violence and warned that parent groups and religious communities opposed to LGBTQ rights may contribute to security risks.ARPA has announced it will hold a rally and march at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Saturday, September 27.
Just another NDP fool in Hamilton's mayor.
No surprise there... Not a single one.
I thought Horwath was long gone . She was just another NDP dumpster fire . These cockroaches are always lurking in the dark to be repurposed in this case as a mayor . What are people thinking or are many even capable of rational thought .